‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ is the Perfect Movie for People Who Can’t Make it Home for the Holidays

Whether I was watching it on a VHS tape whenever I was young and sick, or unabashedly sobbing my eyes out to it before leaving home for college, Kiki’s Delivery Service has always felt relevant and impactful to me. Perhaps now more than ever, though, Hayao Miyazaki’s 1989 animated film about a young witch who’s far from home hits harder and rings especially true. If you are with your family this holiday season, this is a nice movie to watch together, but it will be especially poignant for anyone unable to make it home, whether due to travel difficulties, work, or any other issue that this age of COVID-19 may bring.

For those unfamiliar, Kiki’s Delivery Service tells the story of a young witch-in-training who is ready to embark on her one year journey to lay roots for herself away from home in a witchless city or town before she can return a full-fledged witch. When she leaves, Kiki is a bit like a lot of us: desperate for independence and to make our own way, but with no clue how to actually go about doing it. Kiki’s takeoff from home is also painfully relatable, as seeing her lift off only to immediately crash into a tree and expose her undies to her friends and family honestly perfectly sums up how 2020 has felt as a whole.

We see Kiki bumble her way through pursuing independence and trying to make it all on her own with only a black cat, Jiji, and their radio as companions. Watching Kiki talk to Jiji is also painfully relatable for those of us who have pets and who have let COVID-induced loneliness make these animals some of our prime conversation partners. Just, you know, unlike Jiji, they don’t talk back in a voice like a sassy Hollywood agent (I don’t even know how to describe it. I also kind of get Nathan Lane in The Producers vibes) and so it feels markedly sadder, but at least it’s a relatable feeling. Just you, your cat, and your mom’s old broom that she insisted you take with you.

Early in Kiki’s journey, she comes across a snooty bitch – uh, I mean, witch — who is returning home after a successful year away finishing up her witch training. This moment feels akin to watching somebody else seem to be thriving during this pandemic or having the job of their dreams or even just getting to go home for the holidays while you look on feeling stuck and lost, wanting to be where they are but not knowing how to get there. From this early moment, the movie makes it clear that this is a journey Kiki has to take on her own.

Almost everyone I know has felt some form of loneliness during this pandemic, and that feeling is only exacerbated when you really are stuck on your own, unable to meet up with family or friends for fear of their or your health during this crazy time. We aren’t all Tombo and able to build our own little bike-planes to get us from work to home, okay?

Kiki’s Delivery Service does a beautiful job of both encapsulating the loneliness we might be feeling while alleviating it and feeling like the warm, COVID-safe hug we all desperately need now and then to get through the days. Kiki is excited to start fresh away from home and in the idyllic, European-looking port town of Koriko, but it is not without its trouble. She immediately feels like an outsider and is even chased by the cops, as everyone freaks out because they’ve never seen someone flying around on a broom before (can you believe it?!). Even when Kiki benefits from the kindness and generosity of a jovial and very pregnant bakery owner, Osana, and her rarely speaking Adam Driver-looking beefcake (is that weird to say about a cartoon?) of a husband, she still has to figure out everything from her new delivery gig to how to grocery shop for one all on her own. It’s clear that early on, she’s overwhelmed and alone, and that’s a feeling we all probably know.

While there isn’t exactly a plot in the film beyond Kiki leaving home and trying to find her way on her own, there are conflicts and relationships that feel so much better and more real than any haphazard plot there could have been. This is a movie that goes at its own pace. It’s something so refreshing, as now it can be hard to keep track of time, and Kiki’s Delivery Service‘s lack of agenda forces you to live in the moment and become one with Kiki on her journey (which evidently makes you feel a little less alone). The characters are delightful and the conflicts relatable, especially the trials of growing up and making your own way in life, as well as feeling like you’ve lost your magic. Losing one’s magic can be translated for us into feeling like we’re in a rut or unable to find the same joy in talking to friends and family virtually or doing our jobs (often also virtually). When life starts beating us down, we lose our magic and start to question what the heck we’re even doing, perhaps this year more than ever. And sometimes, like Kiki, we’ve just got to take a break and allow ourselves to feel.

But while this is a movie that resonates when we’re feeling lonely or like we’re losing our sense of self or purpose, ultimately this movie is perfect for anyone who is alone or unable to make it home for the holidays because it will bring you so much joy. Kiki’s Delivery Service is a genuinely funny and sweet movie, with a bright imagery and upbeat soundtrack that can’t help but make you smile.

HBO Max‘s 1998 English dubbed version of the movie also happens to feature a seriously impressive cast, with vocal work from Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Reynolds, and more. I mean, how can you not be charmed by Hartman’s inspired take on a 13 year-old witch’s cat (I wonder how many takes he took to get the right inflection on, “meOWWW!”) or Reynolds’ sweet old lady character who loves baking fish shaped treats for her ingrate grandchild?!

There’s even a sweet little dose or two of romance on the side that complete the picture of this wholesome, feel-good movie and solidifies its status as a must-watch for this holiday season. Make sure you and your pet (who it’s okay to talk to and don’t let anyone tell you differently!) grab your brews and brooms to watch Kiki’s Delivery Service on HBO Max for a nice little piece of comfort, even if you’re far from home.

Watch Kiki's Delivery Service on HBO Max